Is Assassin‘s Creed Origins Shorter Than Odyssey? A Complete Breakdown

As an avid Assassin‘s Creed gamer who has played every major installment since the original 2007 release, this is a question I‘ve researched extensively. After over 200 hours cumulatively spent in Ancient Egypt and Greece, I‘m ready to render my verdict:

Yes, Origins‘ critical path main story campaign clocks in around 30 hours versus Odyssey‘s beefier 45.

However, there‘s more nuance to the length debate than raw numbers. In this guide, we‘ll analyze the deeper distinctions around enjoyability, quality over quantity, and innovations that set both games apart as milestones for the Assassin‘s Creed franchise.

Main Story Length – By the Numbers

Let‘s begin with some cold hard facts on completion times, sourced from completionist data on HowLongToBeat:

So based purely on critical path, Odyssey‘s main quest will demand around 50% more of your playtime.

However, Origins remains quite respectable at 30 hours – many RPGs stretch even longer. And Ubisoft certainly didn‘t skimp on content overall, with a completionist run still extracting over 80 hours of gameplay from Ancient Egypt.

Now, let‘s analyze what you get from those hours…

Pacing and Narrative – Less is More?

Here‘s where subjectivity starts to rule the day. Origins does clock that reduced playtime partially via tighter pacing between key story beats. The character urgency moves in sync with gameplay momentum.

However, I‘d argue that denser pacing aids Origins‘ potency and satisfaction. As one Kotaku Australia review observed:

Origins’ relative restraint pays big dividends across its staggering breadth. Every area makes perfect use of its square footage, encouraging exploration without feeling thin-spread…This is easily the best Assassin’s Creed game ever crafted.

Meanwhile, Odyssey sprawls hard into its Grecian tapestry across 30+ islands. At an initial glimpse, this seems exciting – so much territory and freedom!

Yet travel times between missions accumulate into friction, making the main quest (and motivation) suffer at times. Giant Bomb‘s video review noted fatigue from the exhaustive bloat:

It excels at long-term sandbox engagement but pays for it through dragged out storytelling and a tonally dissonant main campaign.

So in summary, Origins avoids narrative pitfalls despite its condensed run-time, whereas Odyssey shows cracks in enjoyment even with that additional 15 hours.

Gameplay Innovations – Origins as Trendsetter

Now, I don‘t want to paint Odyssey as some lumbering beast here. It deserves immense credit for refining and building upon Origins‘ vision as a revolutionary moment for the series.

For starters, Origins migrated the franchise into full action RPG territory with quests, skill trees, leveling and loot drops dictating progression systems over prior entries. Before, AC games hinged primarily on parkour and combat mechanics.

These seismic shifts laid the bedrock for Odyssey to go farther. It amplified choices from branches to full dialog wheels and romance options. The skill tree provided more abilities to synergize builds. And Ancient Greece proved a fertile canvas for mythological beasts and legendary armor sets, adding flair to the loot chase.

So in essence, Origins wears the innovator crown, while Odyssey serves as an excellent second draft. But innovation typically breeds more satisfaction payoffs.

Quality Over Quantity – Assessing Post-Game Content

Even with a shorter critical path, Origins offers a compelling slate of endgame activities. Its tombs remain some of the most clever environmental puzzles ever designed for the series. I constantly found myself awestruck unraveling mechanisms to unlock sacred crypts.

The Trial of Gods pits you against epic boss-style beasts and gladiator arenas offer some of combat‘s stiffest tests. Even hunting wildlife feeds into upgrades.

In Odyssey, the sheer scope of options overwhelms in comparison. Bandit camps, mercenary tiers, naval battles, mythic beasts – it‘s endless and numbing. I missed the care and detail apparent in Origins‘ bespoke content batches.

At some point, Odyssey‘s activity density drifts from compelling breadth into soulless checklist quantity.

The Verdict – My Recommendation

If you forced me to crown one game the winner, I would reluctantly side with Origins by a nose.

The contained scope and density of content gives nearly every interaction purpose and meaning. I cared deeply about Bayek‘s journey in a way Kassandra‘s eventually wore me down. Sometimes less truly can achieve more – 30 hours felt fulfilling whereas Odyssey occasionally seemed never-ending (certainly to a completionist!)

However, fans craving endless hours of assassination, conquest and exploration will surely prefer Odyssey‘s overflowing banquet. Just prepare for some narrative fatigue setting in amongst all those side tasks.

Either way, gamers of all appetites win thanks to Ubisoft pushing the envelope and expanding what an Assassin‘s Creed game could deliver this generation.

Hopefully my insights provide a detailed answer into the length debate and how Origins and Odyssey compare holistically! Let me know in the comments which adventure you enjoyed more.